1. Value Innovation & Campus Ministry Growth
Blue Ocean Strategy:
Value Innovation & Campus Ministry Growth

2. Value Innovation & Campus Ministry Growth
Red Ocean: A set of conditions established due to a limited market, increasing competition, and set industry standards.
Blue Ocean: A set of conditions created or discovered where there is no competition because you are providing value innovation and attracting non-customers (e.g. non-members of our groups and/or other groups on and off campus)
Value Innovation: The driving force behind establishing and maintaining Blue Oceans whereby a product or service provides uncontested value in the minds of customers and non-customers (e.g. Christian and non-Christian students).
Blue Ocean Strategy:
Value Innovation & Campus Ministry Growth

3. Value innovation occurs when we align innovation with our purpose on campus, the utility we offer to students, and our resources.
EXAMPLE: By looking across the market boundary of theater, Cirque du Soleil offered new non-circus factors, such as a story line, intellectual richness, artistic music and dance, and multiple productions. These factors, entirely new creations for the circus industry, are drawn from the alternative live entertainment industry of theater. The result-they eliminated the competition of theater and the circus by making them irrelevant. They created a Blue Ocean.
They also reduced cost by canceling all animal acts, eliminating “star” circus performers, and cutting out many of the other costly industry standards associated with the circus. They raised the cost of the tickets, however, and charged the amount of a high-end theater show.

4. What are our costs? Costs
Buyer Value
Value Inno- vation
Where is value innovation for us and how can we break into a Blue Ocean condition for campus ministry?
Who are our buyers?

5. Red Ocean Strategy Blue Ocean Strategy
Compete in existing market space
Creates uncontested market space
“Beat the competition”
Makes the competition irrelevant: All Kingdom partners succeed
Exploit existing demand
Creates and capture new demand
Make the value/cost trade off
Breaks the value/cost trade off (e.g. Starbucks)

6. Strategy Canvas For InterVarsity Values
A strategy canvas is a visual tool which maps the level of commitment/identification with certain “industry” standards which are believed to define success for that industry.
Multi-ethnicity
Social Justice
Evangelism
Missions
Urban Care
Discipleship of the Mind
Student Leadership
Training
Expository Preaching
Gender Equality
Life as Worship
Planting / Expansion
Church Partnership
High
Low

7. Example Strategy Canvas: Weekly Meetings
InterVarsity Meetings
Other Campus Group Meetings
High
Low
Worship
Access to Other Facets
Message
Social Outlet
Training
Service Opportunities
Campus Vision
After Program Outlets
Cultural Diversity
Prayer
Small Group Interaction
Arts Expression
Ordinances

8. Example Strategy Canvas: Weekly Meetings
InterVarsity Meetings
Church Services
High
Low
Worship
Access to Other Facets
Message
Social Outlet
Training
Service Opportunities
Campus Vision
After Program Outlets
Cultural Diversity
Prayer
Small Group Interaction
Arts Expression
Ordinances

9. Example Strategy Canvas: Weekly Meetings
InterVarsity Meetings
Church Growth Services
High
Low
Worship
Access to Other Facets
Message
Social Outlet
Training
Service Opportunities
Campus Vision
After Program Outlets
Cultural Diversity
Prayer
Small Group Interaction
Arts Expression
Ordinances

10. Example Strategy Canvas: Weekly Meetings
InterVarsity Meetings vs. Competitors
High
Most campus groups are different from non-traditional “church growth services” but are different largely in the same way.
Low
Worship
Access to Other Facets
Message
Social Outlet
Training
Service Opportunities
Campus Vision
After Program Outlets
Cultural Diversity
Prayer
Small Group Interaction
Arts Expression
Ordinances

11. Example Strategy Canvas: Weekly Meetings
Do these marginal distinctives provide value innovation to the campus and reach “non-customers?”
High
Low
Worship
Access to Other Facets
Message
Social Outlet
Training
Service Opportunities
Campus Vision
After Program Outlets
Cultural Diversity
Prayer
Small Group Interaction
Arts Expression
Ordinances

12. Four Action Framework: Example Saturation Evangelism
The dependency on one monolithic outreach gathering.
The dependency on pricy artists/speakers.
New Value Curve
Reduce
Factors we typically measure but can be reduced to create a Blue Ocean Strategy
Raise
Factors we typically measure but should be raised to create a Blue Ocean Strategy
Create
Factors we have never measured that should be created to create a Blue Ocean Strategy
Eliminate
Factors we measure that should be eliminated to create a Blue Ocean Strategy
Attractional elements that are consumerist in nature.
Gimmicky/self-focused messages
Gospel-centric evangelistic preaching.
Commitment to Kingdom values and social action in an evangelistic context.
Partnerships with non-Christian organizations.
Multiple team/multiple mode approach to tap into focused/niche student markets.

13. A Decision to Reach More for Christ
Does our ministry have focus?
Have we differentiated ourselves from other ministry offerings?
Do we have a compelling tagline and who does it appeal to?
Reduce
What can you reduce to focus on reaching more for Christ?
Value Innovation:
Focus
Divergence
Compelling Tagline
Eliminate
What can you raise for the purpose of reaching more for Christ?
Create
What can you create for the purpose of reaching more for Christ?
We should be willing to do everything short of sin to reach lost people for Christ!
Raise
What can you raise for the purpose of reaching more for Christ?

14. FOCUS/DIVERGENCE/TAGLINE
Focus: When we lack focus, our ministry model will be complex and difficult to execute.
Divergence: When we lack divergence, our ministry will be a “me-too” model, offering no reason to attract Christians or non-Christians.
Compelling Tagline: When we lack a compelling tagline, our ministry will be internally driven or be driven by innovation for innovation’s sake with little or no market value or brand recognition.

15. Four Principles of Developing a Blue Ocean Strategy: #1
Reconstruct Ministry Boundaries by:
Looking Across Alternative Industries: What can we learn and import from non-ministry and non-para-church ministries to reconstruct what campus ministry looks like?
Look Across Strategic Groups Within Industries: What can we learn from those who are leading in a variety of industries? What can we learn not only from Willow Creek, Campus Crusade, and Joel Osteen but from Starbucks, Google, Wachovia, and Pulte?
Four Principles of Developing a Blue Ocean Strategy: #1

16. Reconstruct Ministry Boundaries by:
Look Across the Chain of Students: On too many campuses, church and para-church groups converge around a common definition of who our target is.
Many times, it is either assumed who the target is or no thought is given at all making the target everyone.
This keeps us from focusing our efforts and dilutes our ability to reach anyone.
Look Across Complementary Product/Service Offerings: How does the classroom, the fraternity, or the student center entertainment offerings relate to what we are trying to achieve?

17. Reconstruct Ministry Boundaries by:
Look Across Functional and Emotional Appeal to Students: What functionality do we offer to student life and what is our emotional brand associated with the things that we do and our presence on campus?
Look Across Time: Don’t just respond to the differing needs of student groups on campus but help to shape them over time. Redefine what the role of faith on campus should look like overall. Think about the range of needs/desires students have during their entire college career.

18. From Head to Head Competition to Blue Ocean Creation
Red Ocean
Blue Ocean
Other Ministries
Focuses on rivals within ministry
Looks across alternative industries
Strategic Groups
Focuses on competitive position with strategic group
Looks across strategic groups within industry
Student Groups
Focuses on better serving the existing students being served
Redefines the target group of students

19. Four Principles of Developing a Blue Ocean Strategy: #2
Focus on the Big Picture, Not the Numbers:
Drawing your strategy canvas for your entire campus and individually for your ministry offerings will help you visually to see:
The profile of all campus ministries
The profile of your ministry and how it compares to current offerings.
Which factors to invest in and which ones to eliminate or reduce
Four Principles of Developing a Blue Ocean Strategy: #2

20. Focus on the Big Picture, Not the Numbers:
Developing and communicating your strategy canvases with and to leaders will help others see the problem and the potential for solutions and a visual way.
Developing several potential strategy canvases will allow others to participate communally and contribute ideas in a structured and fun way.
After all strategy canvases are complete, have a canvas fair. Have each team or student also create a compelling tagline associated with the canvas. The tagline should be a compelling functional and emotional reason why students should want to join your group.

21. Focus on the Big Picture, Not the Numbers:
An accompanying “Four Action” grid should accompany all canvases spelling out clearly the costs associated with the strategy
Reduce
Factors we typically measure but can be reduced to create a Blue Ocean Strategy
Raise
Factors we typically measure but should be raised to create a Blue Ocean Strategy
Create
Factors we have never measured that should be created to create a Blue Ocean Strategy
Eliminate
Factors we measure that should be eliminated to create a Blue Ocean Strategy

22. Four Principles of Developing a Blue Ocean Strategy: #3
Reach Beyond Existing Demand:
Don’t focus on existing students who are in or are likely to join campus ministries. Untapped groups may include certain ethnic groups on campus not being served, faculty/staff, non-Churched but spiritual people, artists, unconventional lifestyle adoptees (e.g. gaming community)…
Don’t focus on merely bringing greater service to existing students-look outward!
Four Principles of Developing a Blue Ocean Strategy: #3

23. Reach Beyond Existing Demand: Understand the 3 Tiers of Non-Customers:
First Tier: Students who are in our groups but would jump ship if the opportunity came along. These are Soon-to-Be Non-Customers
Second Tier: Students who consciously choose against involvement in our campus ministry or campus ministry in general: These are Refusing Non-Customers.
Second Tier
Our Market
First Tier

24. Reach Beyond Existing Demand: Understand the 3 Tiers of Non-Customers:
Third Tier: These are students who are in demographics distant from campus ministry. They are usually not thought of consciously by our or other campus groups and/or churches. These are Unexplored Non-Customers
Third Tier
Second Tier
Our Market
First Tier

25. Reach Beyond Existing Demand:
Start with thinking about the Biggest Group of Un-reached Students

26. Four Principles of Developing a Blue Ocean Strategy: #4
Get the Strategic Sequence Right:
Four Principles of Developing a Blue Ocean Strategy: #4

27. A Potential Blue Ocean Opportunity!
Value to Students
Is there exceptional student value to your strategy?
Yes
No- Rethink
Cost
Can you execute your strategy with the resources you have?
Yes
No-Rethink
A Potential Blue Ocean Opportunity!
Price
Is your target audience able and willing to pay the price to “buy-in?”
Yes
No- Rethink
Adoption
What are the hurdles to students and can you overcome them?
Yes
No-Rethink